COMMERCIAL.

Press, Volume XVIII, Issue 2552, 6 July 1871, Page 2

COMMERCIAL.

~%m&JiV.— The Herald of July 5 reports:— The general trade of _the town dnring the month has not been yery brisk, still a fair amount of retail; business has been done, and... no particulars complaints are made of the dalness of trade. 11l grain transactions have been very limited, the fact being that almost all of last season's produce is brought up and in the m<?r- - chant's hands, with, the inception of a,few .prime seed samples which are held for the present A small lot (1200 bushels) of wheat of this description was recently quitted at 5/6, and another small lot at 5/. There is eifli a considerable quantity of discolored grain on growers' hands, but there is no . demandfor it, acd taabulk of it will nave to be utilized as pig feed. Our quotations are as follows:—WteaM}6; aoae eeaxwgf floor, #tt to $16 f ton. The

shipping trade of the port has been very brisk during the month ; the revenue of collected amounting to £1274 13s 3d, against £867 6b iiOthe corresponding , month of the pre-. nova year. The; jpjrincipal shipments' outwards since the date "of our last summary (June 7) were—wheat, about 14.800 bushels; oats* 11,800 bushels ; barley, a small quantity y preserved meat, about 100 tons- Large qnantities of grain and preserved meat are still in store awaiting shifcmSnt. Potatoeswe quote at £3 to £3 lO&,f fhey are in fair supply. * •

HOKITIKA. —Our files are to the 4th. The West Qiast runes of the 3rd reports :—ln the markets during the past week there has been very little change to report. Business rgmajns about the same as usual,. Ijnnortai ; lions have been light, owing to the few ar- ■ rivals that have taken place, and, on the 1 whole, shipping business has been dull. It .i%_ha\ceyer,..expected that-.aiL~im.provem.ent ( will take place during the present week, and I that out- wharf will assume a more businesslike aspect,.owing to the arrivaLin the roadstead of the Sarah and Mary and the Zephyr, from Melbourne, with general merchandise, and the expected arrival of grain-laden schooners from Kaiapoi and Lyttelton. There is no advance in the flour market since our last report, the quotations being— For Canterbury, £18 to £18 18s : Hart's, Adelaide, £21 to £22 ; Duffield's, £20 10s to £21 10s. Oats are firm, and meet with ready sale for best qualities @ 3/3 to 3/5. Bran maintains its price @ 1/3 to 1/4. Sugars are easier then m our last report, owing to the heavy arrivals in Melbourne, but as yet we have not heard of any change in price here. Ales, stout, wines and spirits maintain previous prices. The market continues to be well supplied in butter—for salt, 0/8 to 0/9; and fresh, 0/10 to 1/. Bacon. 0/9 to 0/10$. Hams (colonial), 1/ to l/l ; English, l/l to 1/5. Good potatoes, £4 10s to £5. Carrota the same. Apples and pears continne scarce, and realise from 10/ to 14/ case. Oatmeal is firm, @ £20 ton, the market being well supplied.

Southland. —The News of the Ist instant reports : — Considering the season of the year business during the past month has been generally satisfactory. Although quiet, trade has not been marked by any serious decline, neither has it as yet suffered from those interruptions to inland communication incident to winter and unbridged rivers. Carriage to tae .Lakes still remains at the moderate rate of £5 per ton, and a considerable and steady traffic is maintained with that district, both in the way of forwarding goods imported to order of inland storekeepers and of direct trade with local merchants. A good proportion of loading is still taken right through by waggon, owing toldissatisf action with the existing system of railway charges—no uniform tariff being in force. A cargo of Adelaide flour, just to port per Mary King, has come to a good market, stocks having been almost cleared out in anticipation of her arrival. 3t is quoted now at £19 10s to £20 according to parcel, and may even reach a figure higher. A •small quantity ,of Dunedin brand is held at £16 10s, but town made at £15 to £15 10s is generally preferred, the mills being kept constantly runniug to meet the demand. Good milling samples of provincial wheat find a ready local market at 5/ to 5/3, but little of it is fit to grind by itself, being too young. A schooner cargo of 300 bags has just been imported from Oamara for mixing. Barley is not quoted ; oats are worth 2/ to .2/3, and are in speculative request for shipment. Country and dairy produce is in good supply, and maintains fair rates, although considerable consignments of superior cheese, bacon, and hams have recently been received from other provinces. With the exceptions of Hennessy's case brandy, and first-class stout, both of which are bare, there as nothing to notice in general merchandise. Preserved meat and grain, chiefly oats, are being exported in considerable quantities. Shipments of the former are likely soon to be largely augmen.ted by the operations of a second establishment ; ( of the latter a cargo is ■ now "wanted for Adelaide.

DUXEDIX.—The Daily Times of July 3 reports :—rThe business of the past week has been meagre, and In mast respects uninteresting. -The dnlnees of the last few days has been increased by the half-yearly balancing, and few transactions, of any account have transpired. The- import markets, though quiet, are not, however, depressed ; and though there is no great variation in prices to note, values are rather favbrably affected* than otherwise by the advices received. The demand for spirits remains, dull for the time of the year, some moderate sales of brandies constituting all the sales coming under notice. For first-class brands rates are now very firm, and it is not unlikely that the next few days may witness some.; improvement. Whiskies .and genevas are dull at last quotations. Bottled ales and stouts are moved amongst dealers at very full rates, but importers have had scarcely any to offer, and quotations continue for that reason unreliable. In teas there has been experienced a maintained enquiry at fu'l rates, and all medium and .good descriptions of congous are • moving freely. In sugars the market has been quieter, no descriptions having much attention ; until the next public sales occur, buyers will probably remain quiet; prices, as evidenced in some small lots moving for immediate wants, are stationary. Moderate sales of malt are reported at 9/ to 9/1 \ ; and hops (new pale), . have . been plaeied at 1/3 J for a shipment. Dundee.goods are still as quiet as possible. Occasional sales of cornsacks take place at 13/3 to 3 3/6,. but the various other, goods under this head are without alteration., Kerosene has been placed in trade lots, <g> 2/i;"but there is no disposition to increased business except at a considerable ivariauce from this figure. A fair enquiry for candles has been manifested. Shipments, coming forward are moderate, but rates have not averaged more than 0/11$ for full -weights. The. produce market has not witnessed any accession of liveliness. For first-class clean grinding wheats there has been a fair enquiry ; sales @ 6/6 to 6/9 . taking place. There is scarcely anything doing in barley, owing to the few good lots available -here. Maltsters are now supplying themselves with superior satnples from the neighboring preyince. Oats continue dull; feeding; parcels 2/2 to 2/3.■'. The advices lately, to hand, from Australia have generally cheeked large transactions in grain. Fine flour is quoted at the mills at £16, with a good current trade. Messrs Wright, Stephensbn. and Co. report, for the week ending lskJuly, as follows :— Fat Cattle— The supply was a fair one, about 55 head being yarded, of which we soto~B6headr~Beet qnelvty ~bTonght"22/ 1001b; middling do, 18/. Fat Sheep—The number penned was about 1000. We sold 200 half-breds, fair quaUty,-@ 10/6 each, and 500 meadb& qoality, @ 5/ to 5/6. Other sales-eonsist&ti "6F 300 wethers, medium quality, 5/6.? f We-quote prime quality mutton, 0/2 ft; middling do, 0/lf. Store Cattle and Store Sheep—No transactions! Horses—The market continues dull for almost all transactions. On Saturday next the Bth insk, we shall offer at oar yards a very superior shipment of heavy draught i mares and. geldings, ex Tararua,from Melbourne. We qnote first-class draughts, £40 to f £50; -middling ditto, £25 to £30 ; good upstanding saddle and light harness horses. £15 to £18 ; middling ditto, £10 to £12 ; light and inferior ditto, £3 to £6. Grain.—Wheat in fair supply ; good samples command 5/9 bushel ; oats neglected. We quote feed, 2/3 to 2/4 ; milling-, 2/6 bushel ; barley, no -alteration in quotations, malting worth 4/ to 4/3 : inferior, 2/ tp , bushel. Messrs Driver, Stewart and Co. report for the week ending 31st July, 1871:—Fat Stock.—The supply forward at the last weekly sale consisted of 800 sheep and 57 head of cattle, all of which were dieposed of. 200 half-bred sheep, ordinary quality, • brought 10/6 ; and 500 fair quality merino ewes,, 5/ to 5/6 ; and 300 medium merino wethers, 4/6 to 5/6. The oifctle were very iiwgular, come

very* prime, and others as inferior: pjibes ranggtkfrom- £3 to £0 ss, some of the tieetrfcens Realising considerably over 20/ -p JOOjft. * We quote prime mutton at 0/2 to 0/2& & ft, and beef at 20/ f> lOOtb ; second qnality, lf>/ to 18/. We have placed several 1 loUs of both at these prices. Store Cattle — INo transactions. Store Sheep—Very few nave~ changed hands, and the demand is scarcely so brisk as we expectpd. The numbers offering are, however, very limited, and are, if anything, firmer. Wool—There is literally nothing doing in the local market. '- i

Wellington.—The Independent of July 3 reports:—The inclement weather of the past week has put a stop to trade in town Jorjhe time being, but.we are.glad to.notice increasing activity in shipments to the outports. Business is, nevertheless, duller than lit ought to be, and the stock of most articles in the market is so exceedingly-light that, in the event of a sudden reaction leading to increased demand, they would prove insufficient for our wants. Candles are in light stock; in fact, this- market is quite bare; and holders are now asking 0/11 J to 1/0. Kerosene—The market is supplied with this oil through the continuous arrivals of small parcels, and there is a large quantity advised to come forward. Sales at 3/3, duty paid ; sales to arrive at 3/ to 3/2 gallon. Holders of brandies have advanced their prices 0/6 gallon on our last quotations, owing to the last advices from Europe, which state that the price among the leading French houses has been advanced 0/10 gallon, and one of the largest shippers has refused to execute orders during the present unsettled state of the market. Our shipments to the outports have been larger than usual in both quarters arid case brandies during the past week. Town trade dull.

MELBOURNE.—The Argvs of June 26 reports :—ln the import markets the forenoon has passed without anything of much interest or special importance having come under our notice. In breadstuff s we continue to quote £16 10s for good Adelaide and Victorian flour, and trade parcels—of no great extent, however—find buyers at our quotation. Parcels of Tasmanian flour have been placed @ £14 15s, and in some cases £15, long terms, lias also been got. Adelaide wheat is more saleable @ 7/6 : only small lots can be sold at the price, however ; but there is not much offering., as most of what is held cannot be sold under the price stated without having to submit to a loss. Port M'Donnell is quoted at 7/3. and a small lot of Tasmanian, ordinary quality, is stated to have changed hands at 6/6 Oats are quoted at prices ranging from 3/4 to 3/8=1; the only demand is for. the lattei sort, of which we learn of sales to the extent of 3200 bushels, in parcels. Maize is quoted at 3/9£ to 3/10, the demand being sum ciently met by the steamers' supply, there .being no stock held. Kerosene oil continues to attract attention; we learn of small parcels being placed in bond at up to 2/2£ foi Devoe's ; and a speculative purchase of 5,000 cases is also reported, on terms withheld. The demand for corusacks, has again slackened ; we quote 11/6 to 11/9. Woolpacks find buyers at 4/. In dried fruits, currants are moved o2 freely at 0/6. In liquids we note sales of Henessey's case brandy at 2S/9. Cordage.—Trade in this article is quiet, and values unaltered ; the demand generally is not only slow, but somewhat insignificant. The small sales effected realise B£d to 9d for half to three-quarter-inch sizes. Assortments of rope, one to four and a-half-inch sizes, command £60 to £65 for Manila hump made. Assortments of New Zealand flaxmade rope and cordage • range from £43 to £56. -Coil rope, hawser size, Victorian made, is quoted at £50. Bolt rope, imported, cells at £65. Seaming twine is exceedingly sluggish at 13d. New Zealand flax commands £17 to £25.